Poetry Lesson 1: Using Vivid, Specific Language, Avoiding Clichés, Developing Your Voice
Name:______Date:______Period:_____
Poetry Lesson 1: Using vivid, specific language, avoiding clichés, developing your voice, and creating a sense of place.
Rationale: In poetry, everything is condensed, so when you choose your words, you want to make sure you pack a big punch. Avoid words like “excellent”, “good”, and “bad.” Instead of telling, show us with details that really make us feel like we are there.
Activity 1
Directions: Come up with 10 specific objects from your childhood that you remember well and really capture where you came from. (example: ratty old Keds that were part of the middle school “uniform,” the heat waves rising from the concrete that could blur your vision from 10 feet away, the dirty lemon tree, the oak tree with fire ants and the nylon rope)
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Now, come up with 4 phrases from your childhood that capture voice and sense of place. (It could be something your preacher always says, something your brother would tease you about, something your fourth grade teacher always told the class, etc.)
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Where I'm From by George Ella Lyon
I am from clothespins,
from Clorox and carbon-tetrachloride.
I am from the dirt under the back porch.
(Black, glistening,
it tasted like beets.)
I am from the forsythia bush
the Dutch elm
whose long-gone limbs I remember
as if they were my own.
I'm from fudge and eyeglasses,
from Imogene and Alafair.
I'm from the know-it-alls
and the pass-it-ons,
from Perk up! and Pipe down!
I'm from He restoreth my soul
with a cottonball lamb
and ten verses I can say myself.
I'm from Artemus and Billie's Branch,
fried corn and strong coffee.
From the finger my grandfather lost
to the auger,
the eye my father shut to keep his sight.
Under my bed was a dress box
spilling old pictures,
a sift of lost faces
to drift beneath my dreams.
I am from those moments—
snapped before I budded –
leaf-fall from the family tree.
*Difficult Words*
[Clorox = clothes detergent carbon-tetrachloride = bleach.]
[forsythia = yellow flowers]
[Dutch elm = a tree]
[Imogene and Alafair = names of relatives, grandpa and grandma?]
[Artemus and Billie's Branch = a side of the family tree one identifies with]
[auger = wood-working machine]
[a sift = a filter used to separate things from each other]
Questions
- What sense of place do you get from the poem? In other words, what kind of place and background is the poet describing?
- What specific images do you see?
- What specific sounds do you hear?
Knoxville, Tennesse by Nikki Giovanni
I always like summer
best
you can eat fresh corn
from daddy’s garden
and okra
and greens
and cabbage
and lots of
barbecue
and buttermilk
and homemade ice-cream
at the church picnic
and listen to
gospel music
outside
at the church
homecoming
and go to the mountains with
your grandmother
and go barefooted and be warm
all the time
not only when you go to bed
and sleep
Questions
- What sense of place do you get from the poem? In other words, what can you tell about where the speaker is from?
- What specific images do you see?
- What specific sounds do you hear?
Poetry Prompt
Now, write a poem about your childhood, being sure to let your voice shine through and being sure to create a sense of place through vivid imagery and details. Refer back to your brainstorm for ideas.